Statics › Section E · Rigid body equilibrium › Topic E.3
Equations of equilibrium
A rigid body stays still only if its forces balance and its moments balance too. Two vector equations hold the whole of statics, and knowing how they break into scalar equations, and which sets of them are independent, is what makes problems solvable.
In this topic
- Why forces alone are not enough
- What equilibrium means
- Six scalar equations
- The planar set
- Any point will do
- Worked example: a simply supported beam
- Worked example: a cantilever with a couple
- Other valid sets
- Independent equations and checks
- Signs and units
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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